Forgettable II: Loveless
by Digger McFoogle
Summary: My second story about the forgotten pasts of minor characters. Scarlet sacrificed her life to Shinra, but what is it about Elena that sets her on edge?


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Disclaimer: Here it is! The second story about forgotten characters which made the game great. Squaresoft still own everyone, and all the links I'm making are pure codswallop, so don't claim they're official.

Forgettable II: Loveless

Scarlet carefully opened the mail. Same old story; bills, requests for public speeches, hate mail, resignations, a few obsessive love letters… aha, there was the one she was looking for.

Scarlet,

In review of your last letter, I have decided to take your advise an hire a female Turk. Since Dr Hojo has expressed his desires to reopen the Jenova project, we have been forced to cut back. However, you have my word that the girl will be hired on the basis of a reserve.

I hope this is satisfactory.

Tseng

P.S Are you still on for tomorrow? I need to get seriously drunk. I'm loosing all of my underlings and Aeris is done for…

"And you think that's a problem?" Scarlet scoffed, throwing the letter in the bin with the others. Sure, the guy was a good friend, but he didn't half whine…

She pulled out a cigarette and lit up. She felt her problems melt away as the nicotine hit her… at least one of her problems had gone away… that damned kid Elena, to be precise. Who did she think she was, waltzing in with her boyish-charms and her dazzling mind, changing her life forever…

Scarlet hit the desk hard and walked towards the door. She hated Shinra. It was their fault she was like this. She was a prized beauty once upon a time… a delicate socialite, noted for her beautiful, deft hands… she looked down at them now. The once white skin was yellow from tobacco, her once perfect fingers were now rough and calloused, and she could almost see the blood on them…

Damn Shinra. She walked out of the office and down the corridor, ignoring the calls from her staff to stay. Fuck them all. They didn't even care.

Damn it, she was crying again. Crying was for the weak. And she was not weak. Anything but. She'd sacrificed her life to Shinra. She had killed many men, women and children. How could she cry now over something so trivial? It was ridiculous.

She _wanted _Elena to leave her department. Sure, the girl was clever- _everyone _who worked under Scarlet was clever- but she was a cocky, idealistic, ethical dreamer. She didn't have time for that in the workplace. Outside, maybe…

Damn it!!!

The cigarette in her hand was running out rapidly. As soon as it had burnt out she lit another. So what if it was shortening her life by five minutes each one? As far as she was concerned, it was five less minutes of Shinra.

She turned yet another corner… why does this place have so many fucking corners? She spat on the floor; spat on the institution, spat on their fucking regulations…

"Miss DeWinter? Ma'am?"

She knew that voice.

She spun round to see her. Elena. "What do you want?" she spat harshly, stubbing out her second cigarette and lighting a third. "Well? What?"

Elena shifted uncomfortably. Why was she being so harsh? "I just… wanted to see if this rumour about me being transferred was true."

Scarlet looked into her deep blue eyes… so beautiful and innocent. Not made for Shinra life.

"Yes. It's true. Now get out of my face will ya? You're not my problem anymore."

She pushed past the girl and towards the lift.

"Wait! Miss DeWinter! Scarlet!"

Elena forced the lift door open and jumped inside. "Going down?" she enquired as she pressed the button. Scarlet said nothing and stared nonchalantly out over Midgar.

"I wanted to ask there you were sending me" Elena said quietly, following Scarlet's gaze. "I thought I was working well for you…"

"You were." snapped Scarlet "You were one of the best employees. That's why I put you forward for promotion."

Elena looked at her in awe. "A… promotion? I don't know what to say…"

"Report To Heidegger in the morning. He'll introduce you to Tseng Xu."

"Mr Xu?! But he's-"

"The head of the Turks. That's right, Elle. You're gonna be an assassin."

Elena was numb with shock. An assassin? HER? She was just a kid… okay, so her researching skills were infallible, but her as a Turk… she would have to work on her fighting skills, her defences…

"You'll be great at it, Elena. Don't worry."

She turned back to see Scarlet smiling slightly at her. "You really think I've got what it takes?"

"Of course. You'll be perfect. I gave your C.V to Tseng and he was happy to take you on as a rookie…"

Elena looked back over the city. Was she really ready to 'own' it? It was a well-known fact that the Turks were the law- the names of Reno Ariazza, Karloff Rude and Tseng Xu were known to ever sector, and were associated with fear, loathing…

Even hate.

Was she ready to be hated?

"What are you worrying about?"

Elena snapped out of her thoughts at Scarlet's harsh voice. "Has there ever been a female Turk before, Miss DeWinter?"

She shook her head. "You'll be the first. And you'll be a great example, I can tell."

"If you say so."

"I believe in your capability, Elena." There was a pause as Scarlet considered her. "How old are you?"

"Pardon?"

"It's a legitimate question. How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen."

"Hmmm, young… and pretty too. Watch your back."

"Why?"

God, this kid was naïve. "It's a male-dominated world, Elena. You gotta watch your back. Now, Reno is gonna be dangerous. He has a bad rep., you know? He'll take you out, get you drunk, fuck you… god help you if you get pregnant. Rude, he's ok. Quiet, kinda shy. If he wants to get to know you better, he'll be a gentleman about it. Tseng… you shouldn't have a problem with him. He's obsessed with that Flower Girl. Doesn't let anyone close. Watch Heidegger, too. He's got an appetite on him."

Elena watched dumbfounded as Scarlet lit yet another cigarette. "Why are you telling me this?"

Scarlet smiled. "I was sixteen when I started here. I was just a receptionist, and I was in way over my head. I might not look it now, but I was quite the looker." She looked down at the cigarette in her hand. "Guess Shinra changes a lot of things."

"But-"

"The point is I got thrown around. Treated like shit. And I was too fucking naïve to see what was happening to me. So I had to toughen up, turn the tables… bribes, blackmailing, that sort of thing. And I got where I am now. I got you this promotion so you wouldn't have to sacrifice your dignity like I did. But you've gotta change, Elle. No more swanning around, being all meek. You could be the head of the Turks in five years. And that's a good place to be." She paused as the lift stopped. "Be careful out there."

Elena looked on as her former boss moved out into the hall "How can I-"

"-you can thank me by doing a good job, Elena. If you need me, get Tseng to call me."

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Like she'll ever need me thought Scarlet as she pushed through the crowds. _She could never need me like I need her._

She'd gone from Beauty to Beast. How'd she lose her innocence so quickly? It was a cut-throat business being the sole female executive in Shinra, that was for sure. No time for a husband, no time for a child…

Scarlet looked around in vain for the girl, but she was gone…

Elena Marshall. That was what she was called now. She'd not always been called that. As a little girl, Elena was called Esmeralda. Like emerald, the precious stone. She had been adopted aged seven… Scarlet doubted she could even remember.

She sat on a bench and watched as the world carried on turning. Cautiously, she pulled out her purse and stared at a picture that had been embedded there for over ten years… a little girl, with beautiful emerald eyes. Esmeralda. Scarlet could feel tears again. She remembered the day Esmeralda had first come to her office. Elena Marshall was just a kid with good qualifications for the job, but Esmeralda… she was different. As soon as Scarlet saw that face the memories seeped back…

Hurriedly she stuffed the picture back into its resting place. Wiping a tear from her face she stood and rejoined the hustle of Midgar life. She paused in the street to look up at the advert for the popular play, "Loveless". it was so telling that the city's most loved entertainment was a play about having no emotions… Scarlet had met the woman who wrote it. She was truly a loveless woman, and also one of the only people who knew…

Scarlet realised she was walking back to her office. Damn Shinra. It ruled her life. Even when she tried to leave it behind, she always returned to it… maybe it was the last thing she had left in her life.

She looked up at the logo, up at the name that had claimed Esmeralda. Maybe someday she could tell her the truth…

Scarlet laughed at herself. It would never happen. She would probably never see her again.

Loveless was undoubtedly the theme of Shinra. She thought of the beautiful sparkling eyes of her daughter and re-entered her world.

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Feh… I don't know if it was obvious enough, but I made Elena Scarlet's daughter. Ah well. Reviews are appreciated!


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